Summer in Bulgaria means for many feasting on fish, washed down with lavish doses of mastika.

Not enough water that with that mastika, and the morning may leave you feeling as if you have a ton of licorice resting awkwardly on your head. One solution: more water, and one option is to take the healthy route of spending time at one of the country’s many mineral water spa resorts.

Velingrad is probably the king of Bulgaria’s spa towns, combining a restfulness lent by its leafy avenues with a number of good restaurants to sample in the town itself.  An easy drive from Sofia or Plovdiv, it is also readily accessible by bus, and for train enthusiasts, is served by a narrow-gauge railway that connects, via magnificent scenery, with the main Sofia-Plovdiv line at Septembri. Having made the appropriate choice of hotel, and between languishing in the excellent waters of Velingrad, you can contact the tourist information centre at 0359 51667 about excursions. Many curative properties are attributed to the waters of Velingrad, which is said to outdo the range of the waters elsewhere.

An easy drive 43km north of Plovdiv is Hissarya (sometimes spelled Hisar), a small settlement known since Roman times as a health resort. There are more than 20 mineral springs, with water at a natural temperature of 29 to 49 degrees C. Many claims are made about the curative properties of the water. Some hotels have developed modern facilities, including indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, and massage and fitness facilities, that could boost your sense of well being without you feeling that there is any strenuous effort involved.

Sandanski, 120km south-west of Sofia, at the foot of the Pirin Mountains, is among the most popular spa towns in Bulgaria.

The town, which has the country’s warmest and sunniest climate, has a number of hotels and sports facilities. For those who prefer not to dash about during their holidays, Sandanski offers easy ambles along its central tree-lined boulevard, Ulitsa Makedonia, around which some of the town’s best restaurants and coffee shops are centred. Sandanski’s visitors centre is contactable at 0746 21349. The town has a range of accommodation, from the more luxurious hotels to simpler, family-run accommodation.

Kyustendil, 87km south-west of Sofia, straddles the banks of the Bansko River, and has about 40 mineral springs, flowing in temperatures ranging as high as 75 degrees C.

Perhaps the best-known bath facility in the town is the Chifte Bathhouse, a latter-day successor to Roman and Ottoman facilities on the same site. Kyustendil accommodation ranges from large hotels to family establishments.